As the internal combustion engine continues to develop the need increases to provide a clean supply of lubricating oil and especially as R.P.M.s increase, the requirement for clean oil is even greater.
The most important time in the life of an engine is the "break-in" period which can be the first 1,000 miles or more, as during this time the moving parts are "seating" themselves and more particles of metal are suspended in the oil than at any other time during the life of the engine.
Today, the filtering mechanisms have evolved into disposable canisters through which a portion of the oil is circulated and particles greater than 20 microns in size are trapped and collected. The present day canister is deficient in removing abrasive ferrous particles of less than 20 microns in size.
In the past, a number of attempts have been made to include in or on the canister, magnetic means to attract these ferrous particles which include the wrap around coil of U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,320 or the magnetic attachment of U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,153 or the combination apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,592 which include a wire coil with the bottom portion of a cup having small magnets. Also, the permanently adhering plastic strip of U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,871 is noted which is thrown away when changing canisters. These devices have inherent problems which the present invention overcomes. The magnet of the present invention does not need any other means other than its own permanent magnetic field to attach it to the bottom of the oil filter as the shape of the magnet conforms to the size and shape of the bottom metal portion of the canister.